


they talked about feelings

by qkdxksthsuseks



Series: sleepy puffs [5]
Category: Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z, Powerpuff Girls, Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi (Webcomic)
Genre: Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Love, Mild Language, Talking, The Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-07-27 11:44:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20045455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qkdxksthsuseks/pseuds/qkdxksthsuseks
Summary: "there's always a 'but', right?""blossom, i'm not worth it."





	they talked about feelings

It was raining outside. Brick closed the curtains, even though he didn't feel particularly cold. He paced around the small living room of his cabin, his fingers brushing against the hard wood texture, while listening to the endless messages on the phone. It had been nearly over a year since any of his brothers visited the place; there were a lot of overdue messages. With the rain pattering softly in the background, the buzzing voices were like fading memories on the back of his head. _Sentimental, _he thought. That was what he had become over the years. Sentimental.

_"Boomer, Boomer! How do I turn this off? Damn it, BOOMER!__" _Butch's broken, impatient voice brought a smile on his face, even thought he didn't know why. There was a small click and another message started playing, this time Boomer's. Most of it were gibberish, or mistakes, or shy letters for their future selves. Brick could almost _hear _the messages being deleted almost immediately after playing for the last time. Boomer will probably never hear himself asking his future self to take better care of the cabin. 

The next message played. There was a long silence, enough to make Brick think the message was corrupted for a moment. Then he heard soft, raspy breathing on the other side. A sort of pant. A sort of breathless thing. Brick looked back at the phone, knitting his eye brows a little. 

_"...hi, Brick._" Brick froze instantly and he felt his grip on the coffee mug loosen a little. _"I-It's me, Blossom." _

He felt like he was being hit by a bouquet of flowers. Something sparked in his heart, something he forgot it existed. Something he thought that had _died. _His eyes widened a little and he slowly, very slowly, put down the mug on the shelf. Maybe he was scared that if he moved too fast, the message might disappear and that he might never hear it again. 

_"I don't know if you're going to hear this. Or if you would even hear this in time. I'm right now in the area and I was wondering if I can use your cabin for a little while. I might have to. And if you're there too, I hope you wouldn't mind me." _

Before he could remember, Brick stormed up to the telephone and grabbed it. There was a sickening soft click and Brick's hands trembled as he watched the message become deleted in front of his eyes. The next one started playing, another one of Boomer's, and the voice became something so annoying and sick to Brick's ears. He dropped the telephone, ignoring how bluntly it had hit the wooden panels and the volume went down a little. His gaze furiously started raking across the familiar place, looking for _signs. _

Maybe she had already been here. Maybe she already left. 

_Maybe she was coming. _

The thought utterly terrified him. Brick couldn't even remember when was the last time he saw her - 382 days ago. He didn't remember the things he said to her and the things he heard from her. What did she say? What was their conversation like? He vaguely remembered something similar to a farewell, but not quite like it. 

_\- i hope you live happily forever, you asshole! _

Ahh, yes, he remembered. His nose wrinkled in anger as he remembered _exactly _what had happened that day. They had an argument - they always did. The first conversation had been an argument, the last one also had to be. It was so stupid, it was always something so stupid. Neither of them ever thought about anything else, anything similar to a decent conversation. 

Sometimes they said things that meant other things. They said evil things that meant nice things. Maybe that was why, maybe that was why, Brick was so... _put off-guard _by her message. The short, soft voice tape of her voice crackling a little. It sounded like she was _honest. _He had never seen her so _honest. _She was always so angry, so hate-ful, so spite-ful. 

\- _god, blossom, what the hell is wrong with you! _

And he had just walked away, waving his hand dismissively and his hands bursting in red flames. It wasn't the insults, not really, he couldn't be bothered by it. But it felt so _normal _to be arguing. It was like she made a silent promise with him, a promise to be always so hostile. Maybe they had promised to be so secretive, to be masked, always in front of each other. 

Brick thought he heard something. A knock. A knock on the wooden door. He thought the world paused around him. He marched up to it and opened it, his heart pounding as hard as possible. The rain washed in a little, the coldness breathing in. His head became a little dizzy. 

She was standing in front of him, equally shell-shocked. The wisps of her hair carefully fell across her eyes, flaming bright pink with passion. She looked the same as he remembered, pretty as he remembered. She was soaking wet, dripping with the rain. Droplets of rain fell across her pinkened cheeks. Brick opened his mouth but no words came out. He wanted her to say something first. Something to break this spell. 

"...Brick," she gasped. "I didn't know where else to go." 

That was when Brick started to notice things. She looked exhausted. There were cuts across her arms and her face. Her clothes were blood-stained and she was gripping her left shoulder like it was broken. And for the first time in a very long time, Brick felt fear. He felt concern. He felt _scared. _"Blossom," he breathed, tasting her name again. He almost forgot how it sounded like. "...god." 

There wasn't another word for it. God. That was what he had to say. 

Blossom's expression shifted a little, shifted into small amusement. "Are you alright?" was the next thing that rolled off his tongue. And almost as soon as he said it, Brick saw Blossom's visage turn a little relaxed. She closed her eyes and inhaled, rain trickling across her face. She opened her eyes again and nodded her head a little. She took a step forward, and collapsed. Collapsed into his arms. 

Brick realized he _missed _this. He missed touching her. He missed holding her arm, to catch her when she was tripping, to place his hand on her shoulders to get her attention - even if it meant he pushing him away violently before spitting flames in his face. He missed it. He missed her. 

The way she fell into his arms, so weak, so vulnerable, made him so scared. Unconscious and so cold, she looked like she might disappear if he applied a little more pressure. Brick swooped down and pulled her up and into his warmth. 

"...Brick," she murmured subconsciously. "It was so cold." 

She nuzzled against him and Brick felt a ripple of fluttering butterflies across his whole body. He stared down at her, peacefully asleep. He wanted to do something for her besides holding her. It had been so long, _so long. _And this was definitely not how he had expected their reunion to happen. He expected them to be arguing again, but instead, instead _this _was what was happening. 

"...I know," he softly replied. "I'm sorry." 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Blossom heard him before she saw him. She felt the warmth spread across her body. She could feel the fire eating up the wood beside her. She could _hear _the fire. And when she opened her eyes, her eyes staring at the ceiling. She tried to remember what had happened. She couldn't see anything. She hadn't been able to see anything. The rain blurred her vision. The only things she remembered was his voice. 

_\- blossom, god, are you alright? _

Brick. Oh god, it had been him. She remembered the terrifying moment she had first called him and was glad to find him not there. Then she was gripped with fear once more as she forced herself to leave a message. It made her a little anxious, nervous, and she _waited. _But of course, he didn't respond. He wasn't there, she thought. 

The light was on when she spotted it. The door had opened when she had knocked. And when she fell, he caught her. He always did. She wasn't completely gone, she clung a little more, wanting to say something. An insult. An apology. But what came out instead was _"Brick, it was so cold._" 

And she remembered what he said. _"I know, I'm sorry._" 

Blossom sat up. She realized there were bandages everywhere around her. She raised a hand and touched her face to find band-aids. She turned around and saw him. She saw _Brick. _After three hundred and eighty two days, she would finally know how he had been. He was sitting on the couch beside her, his arms crossed, his head tilted to the side, his mouth slightly parted, and his eyes closed. 

He looked good, good as she remembered. Maybe he got a little taller. 

"Are you alright?" 

He didn't move, he didn't budge. Blossom realized he had never been asleep. When she didn't answer, his eyes opened. He lifted his head. Blossom thought his eyes were a little too heart-breaking - the same as always. She thought his gaze was a little too overwhelming - like always. She opened her mouth to say something, something along the lines of him being an asshole and her being pathetic. Something about being a Rowdyruff and being a Powerpuff. But no words came out. Nothing. 

"I said, are you alright?" Brick repeated, standing up and taking a step forward. 

Blossom nodded slowly, still at loss for words. "I-uh, thank you," she finally managed to choke out. "I didn't think you'd be here. I called - " 

"I only got here this morning," Brick explained, never taking his eyes off her. He stood in front of her, looking down at her. "I was going through the old message. And I thought, maybe, maybe you were on your way." He looked like he was going to do something, say something, but he stopped there. He stopped and waited. "How did you get so hurt?" 

Blossom thought that maybe he was a little concerned. "There was this inter-dimensional monster loose on a village nearby," she shrugged. "I had to go and close the portal, too." When she saw the light on the cabin lit, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She knew it could be anyone, a robber, maybe even Butch or Boomer, but she had been so sure that it was Brick. She hoped it was him. 

She wanted to touch him. She wanted him to touch her. Maybe just tuck a wisp of her hair, or even ruffle her hair up - the way she secretly liked it. But he didn't do any of it, he just stood there, boring into her eyes with clenched fists, perhaps thinking the same thoughts. 

"How have you been?" The question sounded so alien, so foreign, perhaps because they never asked that question to each other. They were too busy arguing or bickering with each other. And in the end, it was impossible to be something more than that. 

"I've been okay," Blossom answered slowly. "What about you?" 

Brick paused for a moment, because he hadn't expected that. He hadn't expected Blossom to look up at him, asking that question like she genuinely _cared. _He expected anything but that. Something near a snicker or a mock. Something that would reduce their relationship back into being absolutely nothing. Into something between a hero and an anti-hero. 

He wanted to say _I'm fine _or _I'm not fine. _Either of them would have the same intentions. But the words that came out instead were "You can stay here as long as you want." Then he kind of stopped because he didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say anyways? 

"Thanks," Blossom answered and looked away. "I guess I can tolerate you." 

The sentence brought both relief and bitterness washing over him. _I guess I can tolerate you. _It brought them back into what their relationship used to be. It reintroduced him to familiarity. He relaxed. But it also pushed him away from what their relationship _could have been. _

"You're welcome," Brick turned away. "Good night." 

He softly snapped his fingers and the lamps turned off, leaving only the burning fireplace. The soft wood pieces smoldered in the silence, quiet. Brick walked off into the room. He was tempted to ask if she preferred to sleep in the room and offer to sleep on the couch. But he could almost see the exchange being illustrated in his head - him turning his head, facing her, opening his mouth, listening to her voice, something like that. But he couldn't bear to do it. So without looking back, he closed the room door behind him and fell on top of the cold bed. 

Maybe he heard her mumble something like _good night. _Maybe he didn't. 

It didn't matter. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Blossom woke up and found no one in the house. She thought maybe he already left. And the thought made her a little sad, the thought of being left alone. But at the same time, it was easier for her that way. She stood up and realized she had fresh bandages, perhaps he had replaced them before he left, she thought. She walked around the small cabin, her fingers tracing the rigid wooden texture of the walls. She peered into the bedroom, where the bed was perfectly made. It was almost like he was never here. The thought made her only slightly lonely - only slightly. 

The door opened and Blossom looked back. Trudging through the brisk wind, brushing dust off his shoulders, was Brick. He glanced at the empty couch for a moment and released a soft sigh before taking another step and locking eyes with Blossom. He stopped, his eyes slightly widened. 

"I thought you would've left," he said. 

It was more like a rhetorical question. He wasn't asking why she was still here, he wasn't asking her to leave, he was just stating it to himself. 

"I thought _you _left," Blossom responded, her lips slightly parted. There was this constantly awkward vibe between them, the alien respect and honesty that neither was used to whereas the familiar insults and mockery they were hiding right now. It wasn't hard to pick a side to stick to, it shouldn't be, but it was. 

"I'll make breakfast," Brick offered as he brushed past her. He opened a couple cupboards and took out a couple plates and bowls. He took out of a carton of milk and a box of cereal. Then he stopped, wondering if she will like it. Then he proceeded, knowing that there was no way he could afford anything else besides this. Then he stopped, in the midst of pouring milk, remembering that there was another way. He turned around briskly. "Hey, Blossom, would you - " 

He paused because she was sitting on the stool, her chin cupped, her eyes twinkling. She perked up and immediately asked, "Why? Is there something I can help?" 

Brick opened his mouth and closed it. Another moment of silence passed. "No, no, would you prefer something else?" 

"No, of course not," Blossom rushed. She paused, realizing how stupid she must sound. She slid back on the stool, a sheepish smile surfacing. She hopefully added, "I love cereal." Everything was so _awkward. _She totally wanted to go back, go back to anything besides _this -_ whatever _this _was.But she didn't want to go back to _that - _whatever _that _was. 

In a few minutes, Brick placed the bowl in front of her. He only then realized that he had poured the milk first, just like how he would've eaten it. He did an inner face palm, knowing that he should've given her the choice to make it herself. Thankfully, Blossom didn't say anything particular about it. He watched her eat, recalling the last time they had sat across each other. 

_\- did you just throw the plate at me? _

_\- no, dumbass, you were supposed to catch it!_

Yes, he remembered. It had always been an argument. They always had those arguments, arguments that made him wonder if she _really _hated him, arguments that made him wonder if he had went to far and he should apologize. But they didn't have a proper friendship to apologize for, it was always just the arguing part that continued. Remembering that made him so tired all over again. 

He wanted to talk about it. He wanted to address it. But he didn't know what words to say. 

"I'll do the dishes," Blossom offered. 

"No," Brick said tersely. He scanned her face as she froze for a split second and then sat back down. They weren't close enough to offer that and they weren't close enough to object to that when someone said no. 

Brick really wanted to change their relationship. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

When Brick returned to the cottage right after the sunset after fighting monsters all day, he was surprised to find Blossom still there. She looked completely fine, fine enough to venture off on her own. And somehow, the cottage looked different. The frames were arranged differently and the furniture was, well, _furnished. _He looked around the house before his eyes landed on Blossom, who was reading a book by the fireplace. 

"Are you hurt?" was the first thing Blossom said. It was only then that Brick realized he was injured. He hadn't noticed it when he was walking, blood trickling down his skin. And the way she said the words made him flinch a little, conjuring a retort. It was so, so close to a familiar insult - _you're so weak - _and he was waiting for her to continue, to say the words. 

She didn't. 

"What have you been doing?" Blossom shrilled a little as she walked forward. Her hands touched his shoulder and Brick froze, completely taken off-guard. How was he supposed to react? Never in his life, Blossom had touched him like she was concerned. Yes, she did punch him from time to time, but her finger tips never brushed against his wounds like she was _worried. _

"I'm fine," Brick shrugged as he walked on. "You haven't seen me in a long time, Blossom." He looked back and gave a small smirk. "I'm stronger than I look, more than the last time you saw me." There was a reason why the Rowdyruffs visited the place once in a while. This was their place of memories and if they didn't come and kill all the monsters, the place would be a havoc instantly. Brick stopped, a frown on his face as their eyes met. "Blossom, why do you look so... _concerned?" _

Their interactions had been very terse. 

Blossom asked instead, "Why did you take care of me, Brick?" 

Brick chewed the inside of his mouth, his eyes wandering a little. Maybe he wanted to say that he was nice, that he was different from the Brick she used to know. Maybe he wanted to say that it was the same him all along. Maybe he didn't want to say anything at all. Maybe he wanted to say that all these years of bickering and insulting, he secretly admired and adored her for the same reason he had to fight her. 

"You're a nice person, Blossom," he finally opened his mouth. "Even if the world falls apart, you would never stand side-by-side with evil." 

There was a pause. 

"I know you're a nice person, I always knew." 

"Same," Blossom smiled. Brick raised an eye brow. "I always knew you were a nice person." 

Brick wanted to immediately deny the fact. He wanted to yell at her. He wanted to deny everything she was saying, or even suggesting in the sentence. He opened his mouth, raised his hand and pointed towards her but no words came out. What should he correct first? That she could just say "same" because no, they would never be the same. And she could never just know about him. And there was no way, _no way, _that he was a nice person. 

"There are so many things wrong with what you just said," Brick said, bitter laughter escaping as he shook his head slowly. "But I don't have time." 

He turned around and headed for the bedroom when he felt a hand tugging his sleeve. He turned around and met the sparkling eyes that killed him a little in the inside. She said in a determined voice, "Let me do it, Brick. Let me." 

"No," Brick brushed her hand away. "Blossom, y-you're a Powerpuff. I'm just a Rowdyruff. I can't let you do this." He raised an eye brow. "You're a Powerpuff. I'm a Rowdyruff. W-We used to fight over the stupidest things. What the hell, this is so weird." He took a step back. 

Blossom wrinkled her nose. "You being a Rowdyruff has nothing - " 

"Yes it does, Blossom, it does!" Brick flinched away from her. "I was _literally _created to become your evil counterpart, Blossom! That was the purpose of my life, the _only _purpose of my life. And everything that has happened to me and everything I did was because I was a Rowdyruff, because I was already _programmed _to be that... that horrible person I am." He took a deep breath. "And, and - you want to patch me up." 

Blossom was silent and then finally said, "Yes, I want to patch you up." 

"No, no, no, you don't," Brick laughed hysterically. 

"Is it absolutely impossible to think that I want to?" Blossom tilted her head. "You're hurt and I want to help." She took a step forward and grabbed his hand, firm and strong. He didn't even have time to react as she dragged him to the couch. She pushed his shoulder down and sat him down. She gave him a bright smile, the kind he saw so much but was never directed at him. Brick blinked. 

"What the hell, this is so weird," Brick muttered. "God, this is so weird." 

"It's not as weird as you taking care of me last night," Blossom murmured softly. 

"Don't you think it's weird?" he looked down as she took out the first aid kit where she had saw him put it. "What am I supposed to do now, start being _nice _to others? It's so complicated now, now that you're in the picture." He rubbed his temples. "Don't you think it's weird?" 

Blossom sat in front of him and lifted his face. They were so close, it scared him. "I know you think it's weird," she softly said. "But you know what I think is weirder? I've known you since forever. I know you almost inside out." _Almost. _"But somehow, we're spending all our time hating and spiting each other. Isn't that weird?" 

"No," Brick snapped. "I'm a Rowdyruff." 

"What does being a Rowdyruff gotta do with anything?" Blossom said as she dabbed the blood with tissue. "It's not like you actually _enjoyed _being evil, not after high school anyways." Her words stung because it was right. But it didn't stung as much as he thought it would. The wound didn't sting either. "But it was kind of hard, I guess, to let go old habits." 

"Blossom - " 

"Listen," she glared at him as she applied a little cream on the side of his face. "I thought for the past 382 days that we were apart." A part of Brick told him that she had been counting days just like him. It made him feel so weird. "We didn't have to be like this, right? We could be so much more. Look at Boomer and Bubbles." At the mention of his brother, he paused. "I thought, maybe I should be a little more honest." 

"You don't have to," Brick bit his lower lip. He grabbed her hands. "Boomer and Bubbles are... different. They're _special. _I'm not. You're not." Then he hastily added, "No, I didn't mean that you were normal - you're great - but, you're still normal in... this relationship." 

"Did my insults hurt?" Blossom abruptly asked. Brick blinked. She repeated, "My insults, did they hurt?" 

"No, not really, sometimes, maybe," Brick shrugged. "I don't know, I didn't really - " 

"I'm sorry," Blossom blurted. That froze Brick and in the inside, he panicked. He really panicked. His eyes widened and his breaths became short and raspy. He loosened his grip on her hands but she didn't pull away either. "I'm sorry, Brick. I shouldn't have said those mean things. I was stupid and - " 

"Stop," Brick breathed. "Blossom, don't do this to me." 

He didn't know what _this _was. The moment he heard her apology something crashed into his heart, something so ticklish and hot. It burned. It hurt. It made him want to throw it back out. He wanted to do that, pretend _this _never happened. This thing, this _feeling _that was so similar to happiness, to hope, to _fear. _

"I care about you," Blossom said. "I think I always did. Even if you were trying to destroy the city, if one day you had suddenly died, teenage me would've been sad." The way she said everything in past tense almost made Brick feel relieved but the words she said next alarmed him. "And now, if you suddenly died in front of my eyes, I would be _devastated._" 

"God, no," Brick whispered. He dropped his head into his hands. "Blossom, you shouldn't be. I'm just a Rowdyruff." 

Her apologizing made them feel as though they were _equal. _It was almost like she wanted to explore their relationship and develop it. It was almost like she thought she could do it. He wanted them to hate each other, keep their distance. That was what he had wanted. But she made him feel like he could want a little more than he deserved. She made him feel like he could be more than a Rowdyruff. And he hated how that hope could rise so high but fall so easily. 

Brick felt bandages on his arm. "Brick, I think you're a nice person." 

"Why are you here?" Brick demanded. "Are you here to destroy me?"

"I want to grab your hand and drag you out of your prison," Blossom explained slowly. "I want you to know that there's sunshine on this side of the world. I realized that I was only _pretending _to be so stupid but you genuinely think you're so stupid." There was a short giggle. "Okay, I know I sound so very stupid but you know what I mean." 

"I like you," Brick spat. 

There was a long lingering pause. 

"I like you, Blossom," Brick breathed. "I think you're really nice, I think what you do for others are really nice. You have very _beautiful _eyes. I think everything you do is spectacular. You have a strong sense of unwavering justice that make most people really proud of you. You are generous, you are... lovable." When he looked up and stared into her eyes he thought maybe a tint of pink was growing on her face. 

"There's always a _'but', _right?" Blossom said softly. 

"You're a Powerpuff. I'm a Rowdyruff," Brick sighed. "I was born evil. I will die evil. And maybe you're right, maybe I can _change _a little, only a little. But I don't want to take the risk of _what if _and _what if not. _So, save it, Blossom. I'm not worth it." 

In the back of his mind, Brick wondered how it went from "I didn't know where else to go" into "You can be a great person, Brick!". In the front of his mind, Brick was glad he had said it out loud. He couldn't read the expressionless face on Blossom. She leaned in and for a frightening moment he thought she was going to kiss him. But then she just stopped. And then he realized his face was turning pink. 

The door slammed open. 

"God, Brick, there's blood everywhere and the trees are - _oh my god!" _

Brick closed his eyes and muttered a soft swore. He pushed a Blossom a little back, turned around, lit his fist on fire, and punched Butch in the face. And that's when he realized that Butch wasn't alone. He froze, meeting familiar eyes. 

"Hi, Brick," Boomer said sheepishly. "I thought you wouldn't be here and they wanted to come so..." 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

"So you've been here for a whole day?" Buttercup shrilled. 

"I just wanna know if you two were kissing or not," Butch interrupted. 

"You guys _kissed?__" _Bubbles shrieked. 

"What the hell, _no_," Brick sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "You guys are all so _annoying._" He turned to Boomer and added, "I've cleared the area, enjoy." And as he turned to leave, Blossom grabbed him by the hand. He looked back, an eye brow raised. All beady eyes focused on the two red heads. 

"Go sit back down, Brick," Blossom insisted. "I'm not done patching you up." 

"Wait, wait, wait," Buttercup raised a hand. "You two are not fighting? What the hell happened here?" 

"No, I'm not going to sit back down, Blossom," Brick said, his voice hardened. "I am totally fine. I _will _be fine if you can just leave me alone. In the meantime, you can supervise your sisters while I prepare to _leave._" He shook off her hand. His face got a little pink when he suddenly remembered that only two minutes ago, they had been talking about something. They talked about feelings. Unfortunately, Blossom must've remembered it too.

"You said you liked me!" she blurted.

"What the hell, no, I did not!" Brick turned around, yelling. He raked over the audience, who looked either very shocked or very, very amused. "Blossom, what? No, I did not mean it that way. I do not like you. I acknowledged that you're a likable person, that's what I did. I didn't just say I like you." He realized he did say that, but it was too late to take back his words. And besides, Butch had a cheeky look on his face and Brick didn't like it.

Bubbles leaned on Boomer's shoulder. "I think they're in love."

"No, no, no, no," Brick shook his head firmly. "No, no, no." He looked at Blossom. "In fact, you said I was a nice person."

"Oh my god, Blossom," Buttercup hissed. "You're so in love." Buttercup released a short laugh and Blossom's face turned redder and redder at each giggle. She inhaled sharply and opened her mouth to say something but she stopped.

"Okay, great, case closed," Brick smirked. "I'm going to leave. Enjoy your time here. Do not use the stove, it's broken." He marched back out into the wild, never looking back as he took a big leap and landed on a tree branch. He glanced at the night sky, knowing that the weather was going to good that night. It was dark and slightly chilly, but it was bearable. He had stayed way too long with her and it was time to leave. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

The night was kind of chilly, but Brick didn't mind. He sat down on the beach, feeling the soft white pearl-like sand under his hand. The lake's waves lapped against the shorelines, almost touching him, almost not. He tried to rethink what had happened, or more like what had not and what had _almost _happened. When he could hear something so similar to footsteps, he thought he was delusional. 

Except he wasn't. Brick tried his best not to flinch as Blossom sat down beside him, hugging her knees. And for a good five minutes, neither said anything. They both stared into the horizon, the moonlight sparkling on the water. The calmness of a lake. He wondered if he should say something and a thousand conversation starters ran through his head but he didn't have the courage to say any of them. 

"Were you mad because I pushed you to a corner while everyone was watching?" Blossom murmured softly. 

It reminded Brick of a cat purring. "No," he shrugged. "Never." 

"Did you think I was pitying you when I said you were a nice person?" 

Yes, that was what it was. The part that bothered him the most. She couldn't _actually _believe that he was a nice person. What she was doing was pitying him. That was what motivated her to do all these nice things to do him that he didn't deserve. That was what was happening right now. 

"I didn't think, I knew," Brick answered. "Blossom, you can't actually think I am a nice person. I did horrible things." 

"If I asked you to give me your jacket because I was cold, would you have given me it?" 

"Well, of course - " 

"If I asked you that five years ago, would you still give it to me?" 

"Of course," Brick said without missing a beat. He knew that five years ago she meant when they were in high school. And high school meant they were fighting for the end of the world. His head had hurt the whole time he was awake when he was a senior, because Blossom hadn't left him alone. If he was back in high school and they were both ridiculously mean and Blossom had suddenly asked for his jacket out of nowhere, he would be very surprised but he would give her the jacket regardless. He couldn't see any situation where he _wouldn't. _

"See, you're a nice person," Blossom giggled.

"That's different," Brick responded. "You're... Blossom. I owe it to you, in a way." 

"Most people think I'm nice, Brick," she said. "I'm not... as nice as you think I am." She looked at him. "I'm only nice to the people I care about. I wouldn't be nice to a stranger, you know?" She tilted her head. 

"Yeah, that's the problem, Blossom," he laughed. "I shouldn't be included in your _people I care about _list. We hate each other. I call you names all the time. God, I destroyed the city a million times." 

"Do you?" 

"Yes, Blossom. I did. And you always had to put me in jail." 

"No, you said we hate each other. Do you hate me?" her eyes sparkled too much so Brick had to look away. 

Brick chuckled. "Of course not. You're... _admirable. _I meant that we... should hate each other." 

"Is it so weird to think the same about you?" Blossom shrugged. "You're smart, you have a lot of responsibility, you're genuine about most things, you're strong, you're sentimental, and you think I'm nice. I think those are all reasons to like someone." 

"I'm a Rowdyruff." 

"And so? I'm a Powerpuff. We didn't pick our names." 

"People look at us weirdly, they always do. We live in a judgey world." 

"Does Boomer and Bubbles look like they care about that? Buttercup and Butch?" 

Brick smiled. "You see, you bring them up like they're the same from us, from me, but they're not. Boomer and Bubbles are _in love. _Butch and Buttercup are capable people. They don't give a shit about the world. I can't do that. I care a lot about what people think. I'm a _leader_, I can't do _feelings. _And... I can't do that to you." He sighed. "I lived my whole life like this, I can't suddenly change."

"Give me your hand," Blossom ordered. Brick obliged. Her hand was soft and warm. "What do you feel?" 

"Guilt," he laughed. "Your hands are so warm and my hands are so cold. Isn't it cold?" 

"I like it cold," Blossom said. "I like you the way you are. You're lovable too. You're... Brick." 

"This is so damn weird. It's so weird. What the hell." 

"We've known each other for over twenty years and _this _is weird?" 

Twenty years. Brick never really thought about it. Come to think of it, he should've seen this coming. This _talk _where Blossom would want to be more than enemies with him because she saw the potential in him. The more he thought, the more he realized he knew a lot more about a Blossom than he had expected. Yes, it was still weird. But it might be weirder that this moment didn't come sooner. 

"So... do you like me?" 

"I've always did. Like I said before, you're lovable." 

"You too. I like you too, Brick Jojo." 

There was a pause. 

"Do you think this is the last time I should say that?" Blossom asked. 

"Yes, you're a Powerpuff," Brick said. He hesitated before adding, "Maybe, maybe you'll say it one more time. But I know it's not now, not yet, not soon. I don't think you should say that for me. It's not... worth it. I'm not worth it." 

"I think you're worth it. I think I can change the world for you," Blossom said. "I'm not saying it just for you, it's for me too." 

Brick thought the silence drawled on a little too long. He still wasn't sure. This whatever _thing _he had between him and Blossom looked confusing and sounded like it had been there for a very long time, maybe from the very beginning. But maybe Blossom was right. Or maybe he was right. Maybe they were both wrong. He didn't think there was a right or wrong... but right there, the world gave them their right and wrong's. 

"Is it so hard for you to believe that someone likes you?" 

"If that someone if you, yes it is very hard, Blossom." 

They talked about feelings. 


End file.
